Cuba: Graffiti artist El Sexto charged and detained

The Cuban graffiti artist Danilo Maldonado, known as ‘El Sexto’ (The Sixth), has been in custody since 4 July 2014, charged with “violation of domicile and injury”. According to Cuban activists, Maldonado will be prosecuted by the Cuban authorities under the pretense of a common crime.

As a general rule, people critical of the government are not judged on political grounds but rather for “common crimes” with the objective of reducing solidarity and international pressure, writes Sampsonia Way.

El Sexto is internationally known for his art, paintings and graffiti, with political overtones. He has been arrested on multiple occasions and has had his art confiscated.

In 2012, the writer Angel Santiesteban Prats was convicted on similar charges and still remains an inmate of a forced work center on the outskirts of Havana.